After leaving the civilian outpost, Chiya and Aki walked to the location specified in the commission.
Along the way, the two of them barely exchanged any words.
[Ding! Distribution complete. Vitality +3]
[Vitality: 15]
[Distributable Attribute Points: 0]
Chiya allocated all 3 of his attribute points to "Vitality" to prepare for the upcoming battle with the devil.
He immediately felt a significant boost in his life force, but it was still far from enough. Using the "Kamui" eye technique even once would likely drain his body completely. Still, it was better than before.
When they arrived at their destination, Aki finally spoke up, "We're here. Stay behind me and don't wander off."
In front of them was a dilapidated, abandoned stone bridge. Underneath the bridge was a filthy, stinking ditch with shallow water, filled with all kinds of garbage. There were no pedestrians around the bridge.
On the side of the bridge was a large hole connected to the nearby mountain. It was pitch black inside, and its depth was unknown.
"According to the commission's intel, the devil is hiding in there."
After saying this, Aki walked straight into the bridge's tunnel. "I'll scout ahead. You keep an eye on what's behind us."
Chiya didn't respond, silently following behind Aki.
He noticed that Aki already had the weapon of the Curse Devil, "Kusarigama," strapped to his back.
If he remembered correctly, Aki was around twenty years old in the original timeline, so he should be about sixteen now.
The Curse Devil's weapon had the ability to instantly kill a target if it struck them three times, but the cost was severe. For example, in the original story, Aki had less than two years left to live after using it during a snowball fight with Denji.
Although the Curse Devil's performance in the original story wasn't particularly impressive, it was mainly because the enemies it faced were too overpowered. It only appeared twice, and both times it encountered opponents like the Katana Man and Chainsaw Man, who couldn't be truly killed.
Otherwise, its instant-kill ability was incredibly powerful.
Chiya wondered if Hayakawa Aki had made contracts with other devils at this point. The Curse Devil's power came at too high a cost to use casually.
In addition to the Curse Devil's weapon, Aki also had an ordinary sword hanging from his waist.
Chiya himself had a katana strapped to his waist, a common weapon in Japan that he had bought casually at the civilian outpost.
"Wait."
At that moment, Chiya suddenly whispered.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, his vision and perception far exceeded that of an ordinary person. Even in the pitch-black tunnel, he could see clearly.
From a distance, he spotted the devil lurking in the deepest part of the tunnel. It looked like a giant crayfish, but it was many times larger than a normal one.
The devil's body was a deep crimson, at least two meters tall, and even longer in length. Its thick, rugged exoskeleton was covered in sharp spikes. Its elongated head had six bloodshot eyes resembling human eyes, and its antennae were as thick as whips, clearly capable of causing serious damage. Its massive claws looked like they could easily crush a person into pulp.
[Ding! Host has unlocked the achievement "First Encounter with a Devil." Attribute points gained: 1!]
Aki, on the other hand, was using a flashlight, but its light was limited, and he couldn't see clearly into the depths of the tunnel.
So he asked, "What's wrong?"
"I see the devil. It's the Crayfish Devil specified in the commission." Chiya whispered.
The commission's information had mentioned the Crayfish Devil, and the creature before them matched the description perfectly.
"Where?"
Aki was surprised. How could he see so clearly in this environment?
However, at the same time, the Crayfish Devil had also noticed the two humans who had intruded.
The Crayfish Devil immediately charged at them, its dozen or so human-like legs moving surprisingly fast.
Its massive body caused quite a commotion with even the slightest movement, especially in the quiet depths of the tunnel.
"It's coming!" Chiya shouted in a low voice.
Aki had already been on guard. In such a confined space, dodging was difficult, so they had no choice but to face the devil head-on.
He drew the katana from his waist and blocked the Crayfish Devil's attack, but the sheer force of the impact sent him flying.
"Kekeke—Stupid humans, I didn't expect you to deliver yourselves to me. I'll have a feast tonight! Human flesh smells so delicious~!"
The Crayfish Devil wasn't in a hurry to pursue them. Instead, it let out a sinister laugh.
Aki barely managed to steady himself. His previously clean clothes were now soaked with dirty water. He immediately said to Chiya, "It's too cramped in here. We need to lure it outside."
In such tight quarters, trying to fight the devil head-on was almost suicidal unless they used their devil powers.
Chiya thought to himself that it seemed Hayakawa Aki had only made a contract with the Curse Devil at this point. The Fox Devil was likely something he acquired later after joining the Tokyo Public Safety Division.
"You're not getting out of here! Prepare to die!"
The Crayfish Devil wasn't about to let its prey escape. It lashed out with its whip-like antennae, aiming to ensnare both Chiya and Aki.
However, in Chiya's Mangekyō Sharingan-enhanced vision, the Crayfish Devil's movements were like slow motion.
Or rather, the moment the antennae began to move, he had already predicted their entire trajectory.
This ability was somewhat similar to the Future Devil's power that Aki would later gain in the original story, but the principles were completely different. The Future Devil's power allowed the user to see two seconds into the future, while the Mangekyō Sharingan's power was based on perception—essentially, precise prediction.
That's right, it was an incredibly accurate prediction. As soon as the opponent made a move, he could accurately predict the entire trajectory of their attack.
Using this prediction, Chiya avoided any possibility of being hit by the antennae.
With just a slight shift of his feet, the antennae grazed past him, missing him by a hair's breadth.
On the other side, Aki quickly retreated to avoid the attack.
In the dark environment, he couldn't see clearly. Seeing that Chiya hadn't made any obvious evasive movements, he thought the boy was in danger.
"Otonashi!"
Aki called out in concern, quickly picking up the flashlight he had dropped. Only then did he realize that Chiya was completely unharmed!
At that moment, he clearly saw Chiya draw his katana and slice through the Crayfish Devil's antenna. Blood splattered into the air, contrasting sharply with the boy's blood-red eyes.
It was then that Aki realized that this boy was far from the simple newcomer he had initially thought him to be.